Digital content selection mechanism based on individual allotments in group settings

ABSTRACT

Techniques are disclosed which provide an approach for selecting group-based digital content using a market system. An application receives a bid that indicates a selection for a user-configurable feature of a shared online activity and specifies an amount of currency that a corresponding participant is bidding for the selection. The application identifies a selection of the user-configurable feature having a highest total bid and initiates the shared online activity configured according to the user-configurable feature having the highest total bid.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

Embodiments presented herein provide techniques for selectinggroup-based digital content using a currency-based marketing system.

Description of the Related Art

Advances in technology allow individuals to interact with one another ingroups in a variety of online or virtual contexts. For instance, onlinegaming connects players all over the world and allows the players toshare a game experience, despite being physically separated from eachother. Online games allow players to form groups to play cooperativelyor competitively. Further, online games often allow a group of playersto select content for the entire group to experience, such as maps toplay through in the game. Outside of gaming contexts, other onlinecommunities or services allow people to interact with one another as agroup or require some form of group decision making. For example, anonline streaming video service may allow people to watch the same movieon different screens while providing mechanism to communicate with eachother.

Typically, to select group content, such as in an online game, eachparticipant is given a vote. Each participant votes on a desiredcontent, and the content that receives a majority of votes is ultimatelyselected. For example, assume that five players are playing an adventuregame online together, and the game presents the players four options ofenvironments to explore. In this setting, the game selects the mapreceiving the most votes. However, this approach may limit theopportunities to play through a desired map. For example, consider asituation where the group votes in the same manner each time. In thiscase, the game never selects a map preferred by a minority ofparticipants because the majority vote always prevails. As a result,this approach may result in a less enjoyable experience for someindividuals in a group.

SUMMARY

One embodiment presented herein provides a computer implemented methodselecting group-based content using a vote currency. The method maygenerally include receiving a bid from each of a plurality ofparticipants. Each bid indicates a selection for a user-configurablefeature of the shared online activity and specifies an amount ofcurrency a corresponding participant is bidding for the selectionspecified in the bid. This method may further include identifying awinning selection of the user-configurable feature, the winningselection having a highest total bid and initiating the shared onlineactivity configured according to winning selection.

Other aspects of the invention include, without limitation, acomputer-readable medium that includes instructions that enable aprocessing unit to implement one or more aspects of the disclosedmethods as well as a system having a processor, memory, and applicationprograms configured to implement one or more aspects of the disclosedmethods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited aspects are attained andcan be understood in detail, a more particular description ofembodiments of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had byreference to the appended drawings.

It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlytypical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to otherequally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example computing environment, according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example content selection interface that allowsindividuals to select content as a group, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for selecting group-based content based onbid currency amounts provided by individuals in a group, according toone embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of individuals selecting a choice as partof participating in an online shared activity using a bidding process,according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of individuals selecting a choice as partof participating in an online shared activity using a bidding process,where the bids submitted by each individual are weighted, according toone embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a computing server configured to manage bid currencyfor selecting group-based content, according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments disclosed herein provide techniques for selectinggroup-based digital content using bid currency provided to individualsin a group. Embodiments provide a market system where participants in agroup online activity bid on a desired choice based on a bid currency.In one embodiment, a content server presents a group of individuals withoptions of digital content to select. Each individual votes for desiredcontent by bidding some amount of accrued currency to support theirvote. The content server receives a bid from the participants. Thecontent server selects the digital content with the highest bid total.Once selected, the content server deducts the bid amount from eachparticipant that voted for the winning digital content.

The techniques described herein may be applied in a variety of onlineenvironments, e.g., multi-player online games, shared media viewingrooms, virtual worlds, etc. In such an environment, players may earncurrency by completing in-game tasks, playing the game for a certainperiod of time, participating in promotions that award bid currency, orpurchasing bid currency with actual monetary funds. The players usetheir earned bid currency to vote on game content, such as in selectingplayable maps. That is, the gaming application may receive votes on mapoptions presented to a group of players and select the map whichreceives the highest total currency bid (rather than based on a highestamount of player votes). Using this approach, players who feel stronglyabout playing a particular map (or other choice subject to a groupdecision) may influence the selection of the map by submitting more bidcurrency than others.

In one embodiment, bids submitted by individuals may be weighted basedon user preferences and information about an individual cached overtime. Continuing the previous example, the content server may adjust thevalue of a player's bid using cached information about the player, suchas the amount of times the player has prevailed (or not) in previousselections, the total amount of currency possessed by the player, etc.The resulting weight may increase or decrease a total bid for contentmade by that player.

Because this approach focuses on digital content having the highest bidrather than the highest vote count minority voters have more influenceon selection of the content. Further, applying weighted calculations toeach vote based on individual histories and preferences may reducepotential for abuse of the bid currency market by individuals. In turn,this approach may help provide an entertaining experience to a group ofparticipants in some shared activity.

The following description relies on an online gaming platform as areference example for providing a currency-based market system forselecting group-based digital content. However, one of skill in the artwill recognize that embodiments are applicable in other contextsselecting digital content as a group. For example, the techniques may beused in a jukebox application in a venue to that allows attendees toselect a next song to be played. In this example, the attendees may useobtained bid currency to support their votes for a desired song. Asanother example, the techniques may also be used in a movie previewsapplication in a movie theater. That is, audience members in the movietheater may use the movie previews application on a mobile phone and usethe currency to select a preview to be shown prior to a film screening.Similarly, the techniques may also be applied in a video streamingapplication that allows people streaming movies through a service to usetheir currency to vote on a video to watch together.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example computing environment 100, according toone embodiment. The computing environment 100 represents an onlinegaming platform where multiple gaming clients 105 access, via a network120, an online game (application 112) hosted by a gaming server 110. Thegaming clients 105 include an application 107 used to access andcommunicate with the gaming server 110. The gaming client 105 may be aphysical computing system, mobile device, or a gaming console system.The gaming server 110 may be a physical computing system (e.g., a systemin a data center) or a virtual computing instance executing within acomputing cloud.

The application 112 itself includes a currency management component 114and a content selection component 116. The currency management component114 manages a balance of currency 109 available to gaming clients 105.Participants use currency 109 to influence the selection of digitalcontent by the application 112 among gaming clients 105 playing togetherin a group. One example of such digital content in the computingenvironment 100 is playable maps. Gaming clients 105 may acquirecurrency 109 through several methods. For example, a gaming client 105,upon connecting to the application 112, may receive an initial amount ofcurrency 109. Additionally, currency 109 may be obtained by playingthrough a map, playing the online game for a specified amount of time,completing in-game tasks, purchasing currency 109 with real-worldcurrency, and so on.

Assume the application 112 prompts a group of gaming clients 105 toselect a map to play, e.g., as part of initiating each gaming session.Each gaming client 105 submits a vote for a map and an amount ofcurrency 109. The content selection component 116 evaluates the bidssubmitted by each gaming client 105 and selects a map having a highesttotal bid. Once selected, the currency management component 114 deductsan amount of currency 109 from the gaming clients 105 that provided thecurrency 109 towards the selected map.

In one embodiment, the content selection component 116 may adjust thevalue a bid submitted by gaming clients 105 based on player profilesassociated with each gaming client 105. To do so, the content selectioncomponent 116 may interpolate player preferences and cached informationabout the player accumulated over a time period. Examples of cachedinformation includes whether a player has won a match in previousinstances of the online game, whether a player has won a previousselection of a map, a length of play time by the player, an assignedcredibility of the user, and so on. The content selection component 116evaluates the interpolation relative to the currency 109 submitted bythe gaming client 105 to calculate a weighted bid amount correspondingto the bid currency 109 submitted by the gaming client 105. Thisevaluation may be expressed asw_(i)=b_(i)s_(i)  (1),where w_(i) is a weighted bid amount of user i of a gaming client 105,b_(i) is an amount of currency 109 submitted by the user i, and s_(i) isa value calculated by the content selection component 116 based on thecached information, user trends, and preferences.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example content selection interface 200 of theapplication 112 that allows individuals to select content as a group,according to one embodiment. As shown, the content selection interface200 includes a list of players 205. The list of players 205 includes thenames of each player and an amount of currency 208 associated with theplayer. Illustratively, the content selection interface 200 presents theplayers a set of maps 210A-D to select. Each of the maps 210 alsoprovide a total currency field 212, which represents the amount ofcurrency bid towards a map 210 by each of the players.

In one embodiment, each player submits a vote for a preferred map 210.Further, each player also submits an amount of currency 208 to supportthe vote. The bid total may be reflected on the total currency field212. After the players submit a bid, the application 112 evaluates thetotal amount of currency bid for each map 210 and selects the map havingthe highest bid value.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method 300 for selecting group-based content basedon bid currency amounts provided by individuals in a group, according toone embodiment. Assume the application 112 presents choices of playablemaps to a group of players. The players, each running a client 105,votes for a playable map and submits an amount of currency to supporttheir vote.

As shown, method 300 begins at step 305, where the application 112receives the votes and currency bid amounts from each participatinggaming client 105. At step 310, the content selection component 116evaluates the bid currency amounts for each content selection. Asstated, the selection component 116 may adjust the value of a bid for agiven participant, e.g., based on cached information about the player,in-game trends, and other statistical information. Once evaluated, thecontent selection component 116 identifies the choice for the sharedactivity having the highest bid. In the present example, the choice maybe which playable map to use for a multiplayer online gaming session. Ifmore than one choice has a highest bid, the content selection component116 randomly selects among these choices.

At step 320, the content selection component 116 loads the selected map.At step 325, the currency management component 114 deducts the bidamount from each participant who bid for the map selected at step 315.Note, the amount of currency may equal the amount submitted by eachgaming client 105, even if the content selection component adjusts thevalue of bids submitted by the gaming clients 105.

Generally, steps 305-320 operate under the assumption that the initialcurrency amount maintained by each player is greater than zero. In theevent that a player's currency amount reduced to zero at step 325, theapplication 112 provides the player opportunities to increase thecurrency to a non-zero value. For example, upon loading the map, theapplication 112 may automatically provide the user with an amount ofcurrency (or allow the user to purchase in-game and bid currency).

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of individuals selecting a choice as partof participating in an online shared activity using a bidding process,according to one embodiment. In this example, a group of fiveparticipants (players 1-5) are bidding for to select content (contentA-D) related to a shared activity. Illustratively, players 1-5 each have100 units of currency to bid for their selection (at 405). At 410,players 1-5 each submit a vote and a bid amount of currency to supporttheir vote. As shown, players 1, 3, and 4 vote for content C. Player 1bids 10, player 3 bids 17, and player 4 bids 18, resulting in a totalbid amount of 45. Further, player 2 submits a vote for content B andbids 10. Player 5 submits a vote for content D and bids 50.

The content selection component 116 determines the highest bid. Asshown, content D has a total bid of 50, so the content selectioncomponent chooses content D as the winning selection for the group ofparticipants in the shared activity (at 415). Note, although player 5 isthe only player out of five players voting for content D, player 5nevertheless prevails by outbidding the combined bid of players 1, 3,and 4. This approach allows each player to influence the selectionoutcome by the amount of currency supporting the player vote.

Because player 5 submitted a winning bid (i.e., content D), the currencymanagement component 114 deducts the amount bid (i.e., 50 units) byplayer 5 after the content selection component 116 chooses Content D (at420). Note, because the other players 1-4 did not contribute to theselection of Content D, the currency totals of the players remainsunaffected.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of individuals selecting a choice as partof participating in an online shared activity using a bidding process,where the bids submitted by each individual are weighted, according toone embodiment. In this example, a group of five participants (players1-5) are bidding for a selected choice related to a shared activity(content A-D). Illustratively, players 1-5 each have 100 units ofcurrency to bid for their selection (at 505).

At 510, players 1-5 each submit a vote and a bid amount of currency tosupport their vote. As shown, players 1, 3, and 4 submit votes forcontent C. Player 1 bids 10, player 3 bids 17, and player 4 bids 18,resulting in a total bid amount of 45. Further, player 2 submits a votefor content B and bids 10. Player 5 submits a vote for Content D andbids 50.

At 515, the content selection component 116 evaluates the bids submittedby each player. To do so, the content selection component 116 adjuststhe value of bids submitted by each player based on player preferencesand cached information about the player (e.g., how long the player hasbeen logged into the game, whether the player won a previous match,whether the play won a previous selection, credibility of the player,etc.). The weighted bid currencies of each player are shown at the topof 515. Illustratively, the weighting may increase or decrease theamount of currency submitted by the players.

Once calculated, the content selection component 116 determines which ofthe bids has the highest amount of currency. In this example, the totalamount of currency is 21 for content B, 52 for content C, and 31 forcontent D. Because content C has the highest amount of currency, theapplication 112 selects content C (at 520).

Because players 1, 3, and 4 submitted a winning bid for content C, thecurrency management component 114 deducts the amounts bid by players 1,3, and 4 (rather than the weighted amounts) after the selection ofcontent C. Note, because the other players 2 and 5 did not contribute tothe selection of content C, the currency totals of these players isunaffected.

FIG. 6 illustrates a gaming server 600 configured to manage bid currencyfor selecting group-based content, according to one embodiment. Asshown, the system 600 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 605, anetwork interface 615, an interconnect 617, a memory 620, and storage630. The gaming server 600 may also include an I/O device interface 610connecting I/O devices 612 (e.g., keyboard, display and mouse devices)to the gaming server 600.

The CPU 605 retrieves and executes programming instructions stored inthe memory 620. Similarly, the CPU 605 stores and retrieves applicationdata residing in the memory 630. The interconnect 617 facilitatestransmission, such as of programming instructions and application data,between the CPU 605, I/O device interface 610, storage 630, networkinterface 615, and memory 620. CPU 605 is included to be representativeof a single CPU, multiple CPUs, a single CPU having multiple processingcores, and the like. And the memory 620 is generally included to berepresentative of a random access memory. The storage 630 may be a diskdrive storage device. Although shown as a single unit, the storage 630may be a combination of fixed and/or removable storage devices, such astape drives, removable memory cards or optical storage, network attachedstorage (NAS), or a storage area-network (SAN). Further, gaming server600 is included to be representative of a physical computing system aswell as virtual machine instances hosted on a set of underlying physicalcomputing systems. Further still, although shown as a single computingsystem, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognized that thecomponents of the gaming server 600 shown in FIG. 6 may be distributedacross multiple computing systems connected by a data communicationsnetwork.

As shown, the memory 620 includes an application 622. As noted, theapplication 622 is an online game accessed by gaming clients.Illustratively, the application 622 itself includes a currencymanagement component 624 and a content selection component 626. Thecurrency management component 624 manages a balance of currencyavailable to gaming participants to bid on choices for a shared activity(e.g., a playable map). The content selection component 626 isconfigured to evaluate bids by each gaming client and select digitalcontent 632 (shown as stored in the storage 630) based on the amounts ofcurrency. Once a selection is determined, the content selectioncomponent 626 retrieves the digital content 632.

The preceding description references aspects of the disclosure. However,it should be understood that the disclosure is not limited to specificdescribed aspects. Instead, any combination of the preceding featuresand elements, whether related to different aspects or not, iscontemplated to implement and practice the disclosure. Furthermore,although aspects of the disclosure may achieve advantages over otherpossible solutions and/or over the prior art, whether or not aparticular advantage is achieved by a given aspect is not limiting ofthe disclosure. Thus, the preceding aspects, features, and advantagesare merely illustrative and are not considered elements or limitationsof the appended claims except where explicitly recited in a claim(s).Likewise, reference to “the disclosure” shall not be construed as ageneralization of any inventive subject matter disclosed herein andshall not be considered to be an element or limitation of the appendedclaims except where explicitly recited in a claim(s).

Aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied as a system, method orcomputer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosuremay take the form of an entirely hardware aspect, an entirely softwareaspect (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anaspect combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally bereferred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore,aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of a computerprogram product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s)having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus or device.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality and operation of possible implementations ofsystems, methods and computer program products according to variousaspects of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. Each block of the block diagrams and/orflowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the blockdiagrams and/or flowchart illustrations can be implemented byspecial-purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware andcomputer instructions.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention,other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised withoutdeparting from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof isdetermined by the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for voting onuser-configurable features of a shared online activity, thecomputer-implemented method comprising: receiving, from each of aplurality of participants, a distinct number of votes cast for arespective selection for a shared feature of the shared online activity,wherein the shared feature is user-configurable, wherein the sharedonline activity is provided via a virtual environment of a computer gameconfigured to execute on a server, the computer game including anallotment management component and a content selection component;automatically adjusting, by the content selection component, the numberof votes cast by at least a first one of the participants, based on oneor more attributes of the first participant; identifying, by the contentselection component, a winning selection of the shared feature, thewinning selection having a highest total number of votes afteradjustment, wherein an indication of the winning selection is output;initiating, in the computer game, an instance of the shared onlineactivity configured according to winning selection, the instanceincluding the plurality of participants; automatically reducing, by theallotment management component, a respective voting allotment of eachparticipant that voted for the winning selection by the number of votesof the respective participant before adjustment and by operation of oneor more computer processors, without reducing a voting allotment of anyparticipant that did not vote for the winning selection; andautomatically increasing, by the allotment management component, thevoting allotment of at least one of the plurality of participants upondetermining that the at least one participant has successfully completedone or more specified tasks in the shared online activity configuredaccording to the winning selection.
 2. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, wherein the shared feature is selectable content presentedto the participants of the shared online activity.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the shared feature is aplayable map, wherein the game comprises an online multi-player game. 4.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising adjustingthe number of votes for at least one of the participants based on one ormore user preferences and cached information associated with the atleast one participant.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4,wherein the adjusted number of votes for the at least one participant iis b_(i)s_(i), where b_(i) is the number of votes received, and wheres_(i) is based on the user preferences and cached information.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the cached informationincludes at least one of the voting allotment of the at least oneparticipant, whether the at least one participant has previously votedon user-configurable features, and a credibility of the at least oneparticipant.
 7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing acomputer game executable to perform an operation for voting onuser-configurable features of a shared online activity, the operationcomprising: receiving, from each of a plurality of participants, adistinct number of votes cast for a respective selection for a sharedfeature of the shared online activity, wherein the shared feature isuser-configurable, wherein the shared online activity is provided via avirtual environment of the computer game, the computer game configuredto execute on a server and including an allotment management componentand a content selection component; automatically adjusting, by thecontent selection component, the number of votes cast by at least afirst one of the participants, based on one or more attributes of thefirst participant; identifying, by the content selection component, awinning selection of the shared feature, the winning selection having ahighest total number of votes after adjustment, wherein an indication ofthe winning selection is output; initiating, in the computer game, aninstance of the shared online activity configured according to winningselection, the instance including the plurality of participants;automatically reducing, by the allotment management component, arespective voting allotment of each participant that voted for thewinning selection by the number of votes received from the respectiveparticipant before adjustment and by operation of one or more computerprocessors when executing the computer game, without reducing a votingallotment of any participant that did not vote for the winningselection; and automatically increasing, by the allotment managementcomponent, the voting allotment of at least one of the plurality ofparticipants upon determining that the at least one participant hassuccessfully completed one or more specified tasks in the shared onlineactivity configured according to the winning selection.
 8. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the sharedfeature is selectable content presented to the participants of theshared online activity.
 9. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 7, wherein the shared feature is a playable map, wherein thegame comprises an online multi-player game.
 10. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the operation furthercomprises adjusting the number of votes for at least one of theparticipants based on one or more user preferences and cachedinformation associated with the at least one participant.
 11. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein theadjusted number of votes for the at least one participant i isb_(i)s_(i), where b_(i) is the number of votes received, and where s_(i)is based on the user preferences and cached information.
 12. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the cachedinformation includes at least one of the voting allotment of the atleast one participant, whether the at least one participant haspreviously voted on user-configurable features, and a credibility of theat least one participant.
 13. A system to vote on user-configurablefeatures of a shared online activity, the system comprising: one or morecomputer processors; and a memory storing a computer game which, whenexecuted by the one or more computer processors, performs an operationcomprising: receiving, from each of a plurality of participants, adistinct number of votes cast for a selection for a shared feature ofthe shared online activity, wherein the shared feature isuser-configurable, wherein the shared online activity is provided via avirtual environment of the computer game, the computer game executing ona server comprising the system, the computer game including an allotmentmanagement component and a content selection component; automaticallyadjusting, by the content selection component, the number of votes castby at least a first one of the participants, based on one or moreattributes of the first participant; identifying, by the contentselection component, a winning selection of the shared feature, thewinning selection having a highest total number of votes afteradjustment, wherein an indication of the winning selection is output;initiating, in the computer game, an instance of the shared onlineactivity configured according to winning selection, the instanceincluding the plurality of participants; automatically reducing, by theallotment management component, a respective voting allotment of eachparticipant that voted for the winning selection by the number of votesreceived from the respective participant before adjustment, withoutreducing a voting allotment of any participant that did not vote for thewinning selection; and automatically increasing, by the allotmentmanagement component, the voting allotment of at least one of theplurality of participants upon determining that the at least oneparticipant has successfully completed one or more specified tasks inthe shared online activity configured according to the winningselection.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operation furthercomprises adjusting the number of votes for at least one of theparticipants based on one or more user preferences and cachedinformation associated with the at least one participant.
 15. The systemof claim 14, wherein the adjusted number of votes for the at least oneparticipant i is b_(i)s_(i), where b_(i) is the number of votesreceived, and where s_(i) is based on the user preferences and cachedinformation.
 16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: upon completion of the instance of the shared onlineactivity, identifying a next winning selection of the shared feature,based on automatically adjusting a respective, next number of votes castfor the shared feature by each of the plurality of participants, whereinthe next winning selection is different from the winning selection;wherein each of the one or more attributes is selected from participantcredibility, participant total play time, time since participant login,whether the first participant achieved victory in a previous activity,whether a previous vote of the first participant was for a winningselection, and whether a previous vote of the first participant was fora losing selection; wherein in identifying the winning selection of theuser-configurable feature, the adjusted number of votes for the firstparticipant is considered instead of the number of votes received fromthe first participant.
 17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16,further comprising independently increasing the voting allotment of agiven participant upon each of: (i) a game client of the givenparticipant connecting to a game server of the computer game; (ii) thegiven participant playing the computer game for a specified amount oftime; (iii) the given participant completing the shared online activity;and (iv) the given participant purchasing, using real-world currency, avoting allotment increase.
 18. The computer-implemented method of claim17, wherein the adjusted number of votes for the participant i isb_(i)s_(i), wherein b_(i) is the number of votes received, wherein s_(i)is based on user preferences and cached information, wherein the sharedfeature is a playable map, wherein the game comprises an onlinemulti-player game.
 19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18,wherein the cached information includes: (i) the voting allotment of thefirst participant; (ii) whether the first participant has previously bidon user-configurable features; (iii) the participant credibility, whichis associated with the first participant; (iv) whether the firstparticipant achieved victory in a previous activity; and (v) theparticipant total play time, which is associated with the firstparticipant; wherein the number of votes cast by the first participantis adjusted based on the participant credibility, the participant totalplay time, the time since participant login, whether the firstparticipant achieved victory when participating in the previousactivity, whether a previous vote of the first participant was for awinning selection, and whether a previous vote of the first participantwas for a losing selection.
 20. The computer-implemented method of claim19, further comprising: reducing an incidence of any given participantrepeatedly being denied a desired selection of the shared feature of theshared online activity due to voting allotment reductions resulting fromthe desired selection repeatedly being a non-winning selection, whereinreducing the incidence comprises automatically reducing the respectivevoting allotment of each participant that voted for the winningselection; wherein the desired selection of the shared feature that isrepeatedly denied comprises, in respective instances: (i) the sameshared feature each time and (ii) a different shared feature each time.